June 6 – From mid-May through Memorial Day weekend, seven churches and businesses in rural Mercer County were the scene of burglaries or attempted burglaries.
“These appear to be related,” Trooper Bertha Cazy of the Butler barracks said Thursday. “I am aware that there are seven associated with churches and Amish stores.”
The burglaries are still under investigation. Cazy said she did not immediately have access to all reports on the seven locations or their schedules, but two reports have been made public.
One incident occurred at Clarks Mills Community Church in Clarks Mills. The suspect allegedly entered the church between the late evening of May 17 and 10 a.m. on May 18 and removed a piggy bank and three white envelopes full of cash, totaling approximately $400.
Police reported another burglary at the Sandy Lake Presbyterian Church in Sandy Lake Township on May 21. The report contained items that may have been stolen.
An attempted burglary occurred May 17 at the Amish-owned Byler’s Discount Groceries in Jackson Township, Cazy said. Billy Byler, owner of the small convenience store, said the store’s door showed signs of a forced entry.
“Whoever it was ripped the handle off the door,” Byler said. “But they couldn’t get in.”
George McIntire, chairman of the Jackson Township supervisors, said he was unaware of the burglaries until he was notified by The Herald.
“This is a pretty peaceful area,” McIntire said of the community. “Most of the time we just see kids stealing street signs.”
Ben’s Engine Repair, Fairview Township, was robbed of $300 in cash between May 18 and 20, police said.
An elderly man’s home in Perry Township was also burglarized sometime between May 15 and 17; a used car battery worth $50 was missing, police said.
Two other locations, including a business in West Salem Township that police have not identified, were also broken into during the wave of burglaries. Anyone with information about the burglaries can contact police.
